We're going backpacking this weekend down by Hope, and I figured I'd post our weekend menu and some recipes. I've got quite an assortment here, making good use of my dehydrator which has already paid for itself.
Each day has a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three snacks since we'll be putting in significant mileage during the day.
Saturday
Breakfast - at home
Lunch - Subway, since we won't have to haul it very far!
Dinner - Spaghetti (dried noodles, dehydrated sauce)
Snack - home-made trail mix
Snack -fruit (fresh)
Snack - oreos
Sunday
Breakfast - cereal with dried milk
Lunch - PB&J for him, tuna salad for me
Dinner - Beef stew (beef and veggies dehydrated at home, stew mix from the store)
Snack - peanut butter/cranberry roll-ups
Snack - fruit leather
Snack - oreos
Monday
Breakfast - oatmeal
Lunch - same as Sunday
Dinner - home!
Snack - fruit leather
Snack - home-made trail mix
Now, for the recipes, since that's what this blog is all about!
Trail Mix
This one is easy and entirely customizable. Here's what I throw into mine:
1. Nuts. Just buy whatever kinds you like at the store. I don't like them much, so I buy tiny ones like peanuts and slivered almonds.
2. Fruits. You can buy dried fruits or dehydrate your own. I've found that dehydrated strawberries are a HUGE hit, as are dehydrated apples. I slice the strawberries, and dice the apples as small as possible. Craisens I just get from the store.
3. Granola crunch. Because we all need that crunch! Mix up some granola, applesauce, and spices (salt is quite tasty, actually) in a bowl. Add some nuts if you want. Spread thin on a sheet and bake until hard and crispy. Break into small chunks and toss in the bag!
4. Chocolate. You can't have trail mix without it! I like peanut-butter M&Ms, the hubby goes for regular.
Throw everything into a bag and you are good to go!
Peanut-butter Cranberry Roll-ups
I feel guilty even calling this a recipe. Get the tiny flour tortillas from the store. Spread with peanutbutter and craisens. Roll up tightly and seal in a bag. Easy snack that won't go bad for a few days hike! High in protein, too!
Leathers and Dehydrated Sauces
I've talked about this before so I'll be brief. The same idea that works for fruit leather (puree, spread, dry) works for sauces, too. If you've got a chunky tomato sauce, it's probably a good idea to run it through the processor for a moment to smooth it out. Otherwise, spread it out, dry, roll up, and you're good to go. Just toss it into the pot with the pasta and the water!
I'm making four different fruit leathers for this weekend - strawberry/raspberry, strawberry/apple, peach/cinnamon, and mixed fruit.
Dehydrated Beef Stew
Not as hard as it seems. Take your stew beef, trim off all the fat. Simmer for an hour or so, until cooked through. Dehydrated at around 145 for 6 hours or so, until hard.
Dice up all of your veggies. Dehydrate at 130, 145 for onions. Toss in a bag with the beef.
If you need more calories, throw some rice or quinoa in as well.
Take a packet of stew seasoning or bouillon cube with you - toss the seasoning, meats, veggies and all into a pot of water, and cook away!
